Cupid's forecast: A little snow
by DanimalBr
Summary: What if ABC producers had taken Suzanne Sommers up on her suggestion of having Chrissy Snow return for the series finale to be Jack's love interest? This is my take on an alternate series ending where Chrissy, not Vicky, winds up being the love of Jack's life. The story picks up during the 8th season episode "Cupid works overtime."
1. The flight home

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Three's Company or any of the characters involved in this story.**

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**A/N: About a month or so ago, I watched the documentary "Unauthorized Story of Three's Company." And while I was previously aware that Suzanne Sommers originally left the show because there were problems behind the scenes, that documentary really brought things into light for me. What I didn't know, was that Suzanne's husband, Alan Hamel, actually went to ABC producers near the end of the run and made a serious pitch to try to convince them to have Suzanne come back as Chrissy Snow and be Jack's love interest as the series ending and spun off to "Three's a Crowd." **

**Of course as we all know, the producers rejected the idea and we wound up getting Jack and Vicky for the spinoff. **

**Now, I'm a huge fan of the show, Three's Company. It definitely ranks in my top 10 shows of all time, maybe even top 5. But I must admit, I did not like the way the show ended. Now I know the majority of TC fans out there think Jack should have winded up with Janet. And I tend to agree, Jack and Janet did have a great chemistry. But when I got to thinking about it, I think a Jack/Chrissy story, while maybe not as good as Jack/Janet, would have been a world better than Vicky. I just flat out didn't like the character of Vicky. And I just didn't see what the big attraction was between her and Jack. And the way the series ended, well, I just think the show could have done better. And apparently I'm not alone, because Three's a Crowd apparently never really went anywhere. **

**I always thought Jack and Chrissy had some amazing chemistry. The comedic genius of the late great, John Ritter combined with the way Suzanne Sommers perfected the character of the dimwitted Chrissy Snow made for some really funny and also really heartwarming scenes in the first four seasons. When Chrissy left, the focus became more on Jack and Janet. But Jack and Chrissy did have some great chemistry in the early seasons. **

**So here is my take on the alternate timeline. The ABC producers, after much thought, accepted Hamel's proposal and have brought back Chrissy Snow to be Jack Tripper's love interest as Three's Company is coming to its series ending. This first chapter takes place on the flight home where in the series, Jack met Vicky. However this time, he has an unexpected reunion with his former roommate. Vicky is in this chapter, but only as a minor character.  
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**This is my first attempt at writing comedy, as I've been doing drama. And it is basically impossible to write the kind of prat falls and physical comedy that the late John Ritter was such a genius at. That kind of humor just can't be written out, only performed. But I do my best. So I hope you enjoy.**

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Jack's eyes are wide. His breathing continues to get faster and faster as he walks up the jetway bridge to the door of the airplane. Sweat glistens off of his forehead and cheeks. The sound of loud airplane engines outside is only increasing the panic that is rushing through his body as the thought of flying on an airplane is terrifying him. It was only a short flight from San Francisco back to Los Angeles. But for Jack, every second aboard that jet would feel like an eternity.

It had already been a horrible day for him. He hated the chef's convention because of the horrible food that was there. He had left his wallet in a taxi. He missed his original flight. And he fell down on the moving walkway at the airport while staring at a pretty young girl causing everyone around to laugh at him while he stumbled and bumbled back to his feet.

He was heading back home after attending a chef's convention, where unbeknownst to him yet, Janet had big news that she had just gotten engaged to Phillip. Terri already knew, and had talked to Jack on the phone earlier that day. But she didn't say anything because Janet wanted to be the one to break the news to Jack.

As he hands his ticket to the flight attendant, a short brown haired woman named Vicky, he begins to breathe so hard that he almost feels like he's hyperventilating.

"Your seat's right back there, sir." Vicky replies to him. "Welcome aboard. Have a good flight."

"Uhm, excuse me. How long is this flight?" Jack asks.

"About an hour and a half, sir." Vicky replies.

"An hour…..an hour and a half?" Jack replies in a wild and crazy tone with a shocked look on his face.

"Yes sir." Vicky replies in a polite and friendly manner.

"You mean as in ninety minutes?"

"Well, unless there is another hour and a half I don't know about." Vicky replies. "If you please, sir, take your seat."

Jack starts to walk back, but then stops again. He is right in the middle of the door way and the people in line behind him are starting to get irritated and annoyed that he is holding up the progress.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm just wondering is the pilot any good?" Jack asks.

"I beg your pardon?" Vicky asks.

"The captain, you know the guy flying the plane. Well, do you know him? Is he any good?" Jack asks.

"Well he must be." Vicky replies.

"Oh good." Jack responds.

"He graduated from flight school last month at the top of his class." Vicky says. "He's very excited about his first flight."

Jack begins to walk back again, but puts on the breaks as he eyes grow wide again and the look on his face turns to sheer panic.

"FIRST FLIGHT!?" Jack screams. "You mean he hasn't done this before? Hold on, let me see if I can't find another pilot." Jack says as he turns around and tries to walk back off the plane before Vicky grabs him by the shoulder.

"Hey buddy, do you mind? We'd like to get to Los Angeles sometime today." says the guy standing in line behind Jack who is visibly frustrated that he's holding up the line.

"Sir, we have a very long line. Can you please take your seat?" Vicky asks again, in a polite but clearly growingly impatient tone of voice.

"My seat?" Jack asks, looking confused at first. "Oh right, my seat." he says in a geeky kind of chuckle that those who knew him well had become accustom too. He slowly, yet nervously makes his way to the coach section of the airplane where he spots his seat. After putting his suitcase in the luggage compartment he takes his seat as the rest of the passengers continue to board.

He begins to feel himself panic as the only thing he can think about is how terrified he is of flying. He grabs the arm of the chair, not realizing that the older gentleman sitting next to him is already resting his arm on it. Jack grabs the arm in a death grip. The man sitting next to him, who was reading a magazine, looks over at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" The man asks as he leans over to talk to Jack. An already edgy Jack screams as he jumps up out of his seat. He is so on edge that any little thing just sets him off.

"I beg your pardon?" Jack asks the man as he catches his breath.

"My arm. You were squeezing my arm." The man replies.

Jack adjusts his collar and flashes an uncomfortable smile at him. "Oh, I apologize." he says as he sits back down. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little jittery right now."

"Really? You don't say." The man replies. At this point, Jack tries to make up for it by engaging him in polite conversation.

"You know, you never know what kind of crazy people you're going to run into on these flights." Jack says.

The man, in a business suit, ducks his head and gives Jack a glare over the top of his eye glasses. "I quite agree." he replies, making an indirect jab at Jack who immediately picks up on it. Jack chuckles slightly and looks in his seat pocket and begins rummaging through the contents before finding the vomit bag.

"Excuse me, what's this?" Jack asks the man sitting beside him.

"It's the vomit bag. In case you get sick." The man says.

"Oh good. I just hope it's going to be big enough." Jack replies as he puts the bag over his mouth and begins to breath into it. The bag expands and contracts like a balloon as Jack continues to breathe heavily. The man looks at Jack in an uncomfortable manner and scoots in his seat as far away from Jack as he can, turning his shoulder away from him.

Jack sits there, feeling like his heart is about to jump out of his chest. He tries to focus on his breathing to calm his nerves.

As Jack focuses on his breathing with his mouth glues to the inside of the vomit bag, he suddenly out of nowhere hears a familiar voice that he hasn't heard in over three years.

"You know, when someone earlier asked me if I'd seen a skycap I told them that I didn't know the sky needed to wear a cap. But then I started to think, even the needs to keep the sun out of its eyes." the voice says, followed by several loud snorts.

At first Jack smirks slightly at the joke and it doesn't initially register to him just who it is. But then he hears that very same voice speak up again.

"You really should tell somebody at the airport that they need to change their signs. I saw one that said for a baggage carrousel. And I looked and I looked, but I didn't see a merry-go-round for bags anywhere." the voice says.

At that point, Jack suddenly realizes where that voice is coming from. It's from three seats behind him on the other aisle. Jack unfastens his seat belt and stands up and turns around to look.

Sure enough, there she is in her golden blonde hair with her one side ponytail and her short city shorts who is talking to one of the flight attendants. Jack rubs his eyes once just to make sure he's seeing things right. When he looks again, he knows for sure it's her.

It's Chrissy Snow, his old roommate, the original blonde one when he first moved into the apartment. He hadn't seen her in nearly three years since she returned home to Fresno. Initially both he and Janet thought it was going to be a temporary visit. But it wound up being a permanent stay. After a few phone calls, they soon lost touch as Jack went about the business of working for Mr. Angelino and opening Jack's Bistro. He never even got a chance to say goodbye to her. This is all stuff he is just realizing now as he looks over at her.

"Chrissy?" Jack says to himself as he stares at her for a moment. He can't believe his eyes. There, just three seats back on the other side of the aisle was the girl he shared an apartment with for four years. And suddenly, just like that, he wasn't panicked anymore. He was smiling for the first time as a hoard of good memories came flooding back to him.

Jack starts to walk over to her to say hi. But before he can make it, he is grabbed on the back of the shoulder by Vicky.

"I'm sorry, sir. But you must take your seat. We'll be taking off at any moment." Vicky says.

"Taking…T-t-t-t-taking off. As in, going up in the air?" Jack stutters.

"Yes. That is the idea." Vicky says masking her disbelief with a friendly smile. "Now you are going to have to take your seat at once."

"Yeah, but I just want to say hi to that girl back there." Jack says. Vicky, losing her patience gets much more assertive.

"Sir, take your seat, now!" she says as she pushes Jack in the direction of his seat. Jack falls over the arm of his seat and falls into the lap of the man who was sitting next to him as his legs go flying above his head and he winds up in a precarious position on the floor. Jack screams as he falls, causing the entire plane, including Chrissy to look in his direction.

"Are you crazy?" yells the man as he jumps up. Jack slowly makes his way to his feet.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm really sorry." Jack says.

"More like you're clumsy." The man replies. At that point, Chrissy sees Jack and recognizes him immediately.

"Jack?" Chrissy says as she unfastens her seat belt and goes rushing over to him. "Jack Tripper! Oh my God!" Chrissy screams as she cups her hands over her nose and mouth with excitement.

"Chrissy!" Jack says with excitement and joy on his face as the two embrace in a touching reunion hug.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Chrissy asks.

"You know this idiot?" asks the man who was sitting next to Jack.

"Know him? I lived with him for four years." Chrissy says.

"Where, in a mental ward?" The man asks, taking a verbal jab at Jack. At that point, Vicky cuts in.

"Listen, I hate to break up this little reunion, but everyone needs to take their seats immediately so we can take off.

"Oh my, uhm, stewardess. I think I left my wallet in the bathroom. Can I go look, please?" Jack says, looking for an excuse to get off the plane, as he suddenly comes back to where he's at.

"Oh no you didn't, Jack." Chrissy replies as she looks at his back pocket. "You're wallet's in your back pocket, silly." Chrissy says as she laughs and snorts in typical Chrissy Snow manner.

Jack looks at Chrissy, his face white with fear. She can immediately tell that something's wrong. "Jack, is everything all right? You look upset." Chrissy asks. Jack leans in to whisper to her.

"Chrissy, I'm more than upset. I'm petrified. I'm afraid of flying." Jack whispers to her and then bites down on his knuckle. Chrissy begins to worry about him.

"Oh, uhm, excuse me. Would you mind switching seats with me? I'd really like to catch up with my friend and…." Chrissy starts, getting cut off in mid-sentence.

"Gladly!" The man exclaims as he wastes no time accepting Chrissy's offer so that he doesn't have to sit next to Jack the entire flight. Chrissy goes and grabs her carry-on back and takes a seat next to Jack as the man goes and sits in the seat Chrissy was originally in.

A nervous Jack fastens his seat belt as he stares straight ahead. Chrissy takes the seat beside him. Within minutes, the plane starts to taxi out onto the runway as the captain comes over the intercom.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for flying with us today. At this time, we request your give your full attentions to the flight attendants at the front of your cabin as they will demonstrate the safety features aboard the aircraft." The captain announces.

"Safety features?" Jack whispers to Chrissy.

"When the seat belt light illuminates, please make sure your seat belt is firmly fastened. There are several emergency exits located at the front and rear of this aircraft. Please take a moment to locate the exit nearest to you." The captain announces as Jack gulps.

"Chrissy, why do we need to know where the emergency exits are? Is he expecting an emergency?" Jack asks.

"Shhh. It's all right, Jack." Chrissy whispers as she squeezes Jack's arm for reassurance.

"In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion acts as a floatation device…."

"W.w.w.w.w..w. landing? Chrissy? What water landing? Are we going swimming on this flight?" Jack says while stuttering as he begins to sweat like a pig.

"Shhhhhhh." Chrissy replies. Jack can feel his heart beat faster and faster as he continues to listen to the safety announcements.

"Oxygen and air pressure are constantly monitored. In the event of decompression, an oxygen mask will automatically drop in front of you from the ceiling….." The captain says and continues the instructions on how to place the oxygen mask over your nose and mouth. At this point, Jack totally cracks.

"OH MY GOD, WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Jack screams out loud as he tries to get out of his seat, but the seat belt has him glues to the seat. This results in a comical squirm as Jack flails his arms and legs to try to get out. Everyone in the cabin turns to look at him as he makes a scene.

Chrissy chuckles as she sees that Jack hasn't changed. He's still the same comical, overdramatic, funny guy that she lived with for four years.

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Twenty minutes later, the plane is in full flight. Jack remains glues to his seat. Sweat is pouring off of his forehead, and the fear is etched on his face as he is frozen in his seat like a statue. Chrissy continues to sit in the seat next to him, looking over at him every few seconds with concern on her face.

"Jack?" Chrissy speaks out. He doesn't answer but instead continues to stare straight ahead. "Jack?" Chrissy says again a little louder, still no reply. At that point, she becomes worried and reaches over and lightly shakes his shoulder.

"Bahhhhhh!" screams a startles Jack, simultaneously scaring Chrissy. Jack comes out of his fearful looked trance and looks over at her, adjusting his shirt and wiping the sweat off his face.

"Yes?" Jack replies, in a high pitched voice as he clears his throat. "Uhm, yes."

"I was just going to ask how Janet and Larry are." Chrissy says.

"Who?" Jack asks, the high stress getting to him.

"Janet and Larry. You know, your roommate and your best friend." Chrissy says, correcting him.

"Ohhhh, ha ha." Jack chuckles with an embarrassed look on his face. "That Janet and Larry. I thought you were talking about, oh never mind." Jack says. "They're great, fantastic, couldn't be better."

"Really? They're really doing great?" asks Chrissy.

"Yes. Why wouldn't they be?" Jack says. "They're on the ground."

Chrissy laughs, snorting slightly as she does. She always did laugh as Jack's jokes, regardless of how funny they were or weren't.

"And you're doing fine?" Chrissy asks.

"Me? Oh yeah. I'm doing great. Did you know I opened up my own restaurant?" Jack says.

"You did?" Chrissy gasps.

"Yeah, Jack's Bistro. It's this small little French restaurant." Jack says.

"Oh Jack, that's wonderful!" Chrissy says with childlike enthusiasm in her voice. "That's what you always wanted, to own your own restaurant."

"Well, I don't really own all of it. This guy named Angelino, who I use to work for, leased this place to me to run, and he collects the rent every month along with a percentage of the profits I make." Jack explains.

"Oh, well still, your own restaurant. That's great, Jack! Gosh, I'm so happy for you." Chrissy says. Jack's anxiety slowly begins to go down as he converses with Chrissy.

"So uhm, how have you been? How's your mother? I think the last time I talked to you; you said she was in pretty bad shape." Jack says.

"Yeah." Chrissy says, a frown comes over her face. "She passed away 2 years ago." Chrissy says. Jack's face immediately turns serious.

"Oh Chrissy, I'm so sorry. That's awful. I wish you would have told me. Maybe, I could have helped out."

Chrissy chuckles. "Hey, Jack, you have your own life to live, Mr. big shot restaurant owner. You don't have time to get bogged down in my problems. Besides, my father and I managed." Chrissy says. Jack frowns, feeling bad for Chrissy.

"So uhm, how is the reverend these days?" Jack asks.

"Well, to be honest, I only see him about once a month when he's in town." Chrissy says. "He's been traveling so much ever since my mother died, doing missionary work. I think he does it mostly to keep his mind off of her. That's actually why I'm heading to Los Angeles. He's down there preaching a sermon this week. I thought I'd fly in and surprise him. It is his birthday today after all."

"Really? Well tell him I said happy birthday." Jack says.

"I will." Chrissy says as she looks at Jack and smiles. Jack suddenly realizes that with her mother gone and her Dad on the road all the time, he wonders who keeps Chrissy company.

"So, I bet you got a nice little apartment back in Fresno, huh?"

"Actually, I moved up to San Francisco a year ago." Chrissy says. "I've been staying with one of my father's friends, a minister and his wife, and working as a secretary."

"Oh Chrissy." Jack says. "You're still a secretary?"

Chrissy shrugs. "Hey, it brings home the bacon." she says. "To be honest though, I sometimes miss the old apartment with you and Janet. Those were the best years of my life." Chrissy says as she starts to stare off at the ceiling for a moment, then turns to Jack. "I still remember how you could always make me laugh, even when I was in the crummiest mood, and how wonderful it was waking up and having one of your delicious pancake breakfasts in the morning. It would always bring a smile to my face."

Jack nods his head. "Yeah. Well Chrissy, to be honest, some days I really miss having you around too." Jack says.

"You do?" Chrissy asks in an unsure tone.

"Yes. I mean, the way you'd get so excited, and the way you use to laugh and snort. That could always brighten my day." Jack says.

"It could?" Chrissy asks.

"Yes. And the way you'd always stuff your face after I baked your favorite cake. I have to tell you. I don't think I've ever encountered anybody who enjoyed my cooking as much as you did." Jack says. The two of them start to laugh. Jack is now completely calm and enjoying himself with Chrissy. However, this is short lived as the plane shakes when it hits some minor turbulence. In a moment, Jack's fear and anxiety races back up again as he grabs both arm rests in a death grip and looks forward.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Jack asks with a panicky expression on his face.

"I don't know. A speed bump maybe?" Chrissy says. Jack looks over at her and rolls his eyes slightly. It was another Chrissy Snow moment that he use to become accustom too, but is just now realizing how much he's missed it since she left. He spots Vicky coming up the aisle and reaches out and grabs her arm.

"Excuse me, miss." Jack says. "But, what was that?"

"What was what?" Vicky asks.

"Why did the plane shake just now?" asks Jack.

"Oh that? Probably just a little pocket of turbulence. Nothing to worry about, sir. Just relax." Vicky replies.

"Oh? Are you sure we didn't hit a mountain or something?" Jack asks.

"Yes sir. I'm sure." Vicky says.

"Well, maybe you should go outside and check, just to be sure." Jack says. Vicky looks at him and rolls her eyes, as she wonders for a moment if Jack really knows how dumb he sounded just there.

"Right, so uhm, why don't I bring you a drink, to help calm your nerves." Vicky says.

"That would be nice." Jack says.

"Ok. What would you like? Beer? Scotch? Burbon? Gin?" Vicky asks.

"That would be nice." Jack says. Vicky glares at him for a second.

"I'll just bring you a gin and tonic." Vicky says. "And you, ma'am?" she asks Chrissy.

"Oh, I'll just have a diet Coke." Chrissy says.

"Okay. Would you like to drink that directly out of the can?" Vicky asks.

"Oh, uhm no." Chrissy says. "I mean I use to have a dog that drank out of the toilet, but I like mine in a glass."

Jack chuckles to himself at Chrissy's joke. Vicky just rolls her eyes and walks away.

* * *

A short time later, Jack and Chrissy are enjoying their drinks. Jack's Gin and Tonic, along with Chrissy's company does appear to be calming him down somewhat. They have caught up somewhat, as Jack has talked a little about Janet, Larry, and Mr. Furley, as well as the two roommates that they had since Chrissy left, Cindy and Terri.

Chrissy talks about what she has been up to from staying with her parents to moving up to San Francisco and about how her career has not gone quite like she had planned, but she's happy with what she has. The subject of relationships hasn't come up at all thus far. But as Jack starts to hear Chrissy's story, he begins to feel bad for her as it becomes more and more evident that she is lonely and misses the time she had back at the apartment. Finally, Chrissy decides to break the ice and ask Jack who about girlfriends.

"So Jack, tell me, who's the latest girl you're chasing?" asks Chrissy.

"Girl?" Jack asks.

"Yeah, I bet you haven't changed. You and Larry were always trying to snag a new babe every week. I bet that's one part of your life that hasn't change." Chrissy says as she laughs, while snorting slightly.

"Well, uhm, yeah Chrissy, I guess you can say I'm still chasing them. But I have to admit, it would sure be nice to find one I can hang onto for more than a week."

"Oh?" Chrissy asks with curiosity. "Don't tell me that Jack Tripper, the ladies' man, is growing tired of the chase?"

Jack shakes his head as he takes a sip of his gin and tonic. "I don't know, Chrissy. I mean, to tell you the truth. You knew me when I was still in cooking school and living the worry free life. But now I own my own restaurant and I finally am starting to feel like I have some kind of a future, at least career wise. And after all these women over the years, I can honestly say I haven't found many that I can honestly say I picture myself settling down with. And my not many, I mean zero." Jack says.

"Oh, I see." Chrissy says quietly, followed by a brief period of awkward silence as both of them collect their thoughts.

"So what about you? There's no way someone with your looks can't be attached."

Chrissy stays quiet for a moment before looking at Jack and shaking her head no. He's unsure what that means.

"Is that No as in no you aren't attached or no, I'm right and there's no way you aren't attached." Jack says as he immediately ponders what he just said and if it makes any sense.

"Oh Jack, that sounds like something I would say." Chrissy says as she laughs and snorts again. Jack smiles as the more Chrissy does it, the cuter she looks to him.

"It does, doesn't it?" Jack replies.

"No Jack. I'm not attached." Chrissy says. "Every guy out there is a rat. They take me out and they only have one thing on their mind."

Jack grins slightly upon hearing Chrissy isn't attached yet, but feels kind of bad as he believes she truly deserves somebody who will make her happy. "Well Chrissy, it's their loss. Because any guy who doesn't take the time to get to know you and who you really are is missing out. And if guys out there knew you the way I do, they'd be lined up around the corner to go out with you." Jack says with a friendly grin on his face.

"They would?" Chrissy says. At that moment, Jack looks over at Chrissy into her eyes. By now he has totally forgotten that he is on a plane. Chrissy is looking back at him. They are both feeling a connection. This is something that is reminiscent of an incident that happened many years ago, shortly after Jack moved into the apartment. One night, when Janet was sleeping down stairs in Mrs. Roper's apartment, leaving Jack and Chrissy alone, there was nearly an intimate moment between them. Chrissy intentionally made herself look bad with hair curlers, a shower cap, and a robe in order to avoid any advances by Jack. But Jack told her that she looked even more beautiful that way and the two nearly took their friendship to another level before Jack decided not to go any further out of faithfulness to his girlfriend at the time.

This silent and tender moment is broken by the feeling of the plane shaking once again as in an instant; Jack goes into panic mode as he's quickly brought back to the reality that he is on an airplane. His eyes widen as he looks straight ahead, grabbing the arm rests in a death grip. At that moment, an announcement comes on the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts. We are experiencing some minor turbulence. Thank you." The captain announces. Jack's face turns white with panic as he's about to make one of his over reacting scenes that he's been known to do over the years.

"OH MY GOD! THIS IS IT!" Jack screams as he loses control of his hand, which is holding his Gin and Tonic. The drink winds up spilling in Chrissy's lap. Jack gapes as he realizes what he's done.

"Jack, you klutz." Chrissy says out loud in frustration.

"Chrissy, I'm so sorry."

"Great, now my clothes feel like they've been washed in a brewery." Chrissy says in frustration as she unfastens her seat belt and gets up and scotches through the seats and makes her way to the aisle.

"W.w.w. a second. Where are you going?" Jack asks, as he stutters.

"I'm going to the bathroom to try to clean this off." Chrissy says with a frustrated look on her face.

"Wha…Right now?" Jack asks. "You mean you're going to leave me alone?" Jack asks as he grabs at Chrissy's arm like a baby.

"Yes, I am, Jack." Chrissy replies. "You big baby."

"Yeah, but what if something horrible happens?" Jack asks. At that point, Chrissy looks down at her clothes, which are soaking in Gin and Tonic, and then looks back up at Jack with an exasperated, yet cute expression on her face.

"I think we're too late for that." Chrissy says. "Excuse me." she says as she makes her way past Jack and back to the back.

Jack sits there briefly as for a second he thinks about what an idiot he just make of himself. But those thoughts are quickly vanquished as more turbulence causes the plane to shake. Jack immediately turns into a big chicken and in classic over reacting Jack Tripper fashion, un-buckles his seat belt and chases after Chrissy towards the back of the plane.

"Chrissy! Chrissy, wait!" Jack calls out. As he makes his way to the rear of the plane, the turbulence knocks him off his feet a couple times. Once he falls over an old woman sleeping. And the second time, he stumbles backwards falling into a guy eating popcorn out of a box as he winds up going head over heels.

"Don't worry; I think the prize is still in there." Jack says as he hands the man back his popcorn. The man just snatches it out of Jack's hand.

As Jack gets back to the rear of the plane, Chrissy is opening up the doors to one of the tiny restrooms they have on jet planes.

"Chrissy!" Jack calls out.

"Jack, do you mind?" Chrissy whines as she opens into the door and goes into the bathroom, which is her way of telling him to get lost.

"No, I don't mind. I just want to help." Jack says.

"No thanks, Jack. You've done enough already." Chrissy says as she starts to go into the bathroom. Jack tries to get in front of her and get into the bathroom first.

"Chrissy, if you just wait out here, I'll get some towels and….." Jack starts to say.

"No Jack, just go back and sit down." Chrissy argues. At that exact moment, the plane hits some more turbulence and as it does, both Jack and Chrissy stumble into the bathroom and the door shuts behind them. Jack winds up sitting on the toilet with Chrissy on his lap.

"Well, I sat down." Jack jokes. Chrissy smacks him on the shoulder. She immediately jumps up and tries to open the door. However, the door is stuck and won't move.

"It's stuck." Chrissy says to him.

"Are you kidding? It's not stuck." Jack says, putting on a comforting smile as he tries to open the door but also with no success. "It's stuck."

"That's what I just said." Chrissy replies as both her and Jack try to open the door. With no success on opening the door, and feeling how cramped the bathroom is, Jack begins to bang on the door really loud.

"HELP!" Jack screams, hoping someone outside will hear him. Chrissy covers her ears immediately.

"Shhhhh, Jack, my ears." Chrissy says.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jack says.

"Well, this is great. How are we going to get out of here?" Chrissy asks.

"Well, sooner or later somebody's going to have to come back here and go to the bathroom. I mean, face it, Chrissy. It could be a lot worse." Jack says as he looks at her. Chrissy begins to nod her head.

"It's worse." Chrissy replies.

"What?" Jack asks, turning to her.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Chrissy replies. Jack's face turns red with embarrassment as he begins to panic and once again bang on the door.

"HELP!" Jack screams again.

"Jack! I'm a little young for a hearing aid." Chrissy says. In frustration, Jack smacks his forehead with his palm and shakes his head.

"My God, what a day." Jack says. "This is a nightmare." he says as he sighs and kicks at the door in frustration. Chrissy sits down on the toilet and begins to chuckle, then she begins to outright laugh. At first, Jack looks at her like she's nuts. But then begins to laugh along.

"Wha…What are we laughing about?" Jack asks.

"Oh, I was just thinking about that time…you know what this reminds me of…." Chrissy says as her laughter begins to grow. "You remember when my cousin Jay left his handcuffs in our apartment and we accidently handcuffed ourselves together."

"Oh yeah." Jack says as he begins to laugh harder. "I remember I had a date with that Brenda girl, you know, the human blender."

"Yeah, you remember that cop saw us down at the Regal Beagle and then followed us to our apartment." Chrissy says.

"Yeah, and then you hid under the table why I ate that cake out of your hand with gloves on." Jack says, as the two begin laughing hysterically.

"And then you hid with me in the shower." Chrissy laughs, by this time they are both in tears from laughing so hard.

"Oh those were the fun days." Jack says.

"Yeah, I mean, you would think hiding in the bathroom would be safe enough. But no, he just came barging in." Chrissy says.

In comedic timing, at that point the bathroom door opens from outside and a woman tries to enter but puts on the breaks when she sees Jack and Chrissy in the bathroom. It's Vicky, who looks at them, then puts her hands on her hips as an immediate misunderstanding comes into place

"What is this?" Vicky asks. "I'm sorry, but there will be no joining of any special clubs on this flight."

"No, see you don't understand." Jack starts. "See, we had a little accident, and she got all wet. So I was helping her dry off and we got stuck."

Jack gulps as he realizes what he just said only served to make things worse.

"Listen, I don't need the details. Just one of you needs to get out of here, now. We'll be landing shortly." Vicky says.

"Yes ma'am." Jack says as he gulps and then leaves the restroom, returning to his seat.

* * *

"Flight attendants, please take your seats for landing." The captain announces over the loud speaker.

As the plane descends, Jack sits in his seat with his hands folded and in praying position. Chrissy is sitting next to him.

"Oh please God, Oh please God, Oh Please God, Oh Please God." Jack keeps saying quietly over and over again.

"Jack, don't you think that's enough?" asks Chrissy.

"Huh?" Jack asks, raising his head up slightly.

"Well, you see it all the time with mothers and kids. If the kid keeps asking over and over again, eventually the mother gets angry and storms out of the store." Chrissy says.

"What's your point, Chrissy?" Jack asks.

"My point is, if you keep asking God, eventually he might get angry and storm out and then you won't get what you want." Chrissy says. Jack turns to look at her and ponders where she comes up with these ideas sometimes.

At that moment, the plane touches down on the runway. The impact startles Jack who immediately yells out in dramatic fashion, and ducks his head, covering it up with his hands. Several people look over at him, thinking he's crazy. Chrissy looks outside to see that the plane is now on the ground. She then starts to poke Jack on the shoulder.

"Jack…..Jack!" she whispers. "Jack, we're on the ground."

"Chrissy not now, I can't….." Jack starts to say but then stops when he realizes what she just said. "We are?" Jack asks as he picks his head up and looks out the window to see the runway. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." Jack says repeatedly to himself as he folds his hands.

"Jack, too many thank yous might not be good either." Chrissy says.

"Who cares, Chrissy? We made it." Jack says as he takes a deep breath and sits back in his seat, while the plane taxis its way to the gate.

* * *

Minutes later, the passengers are getting off the plane at the gate. And Vicky is saying goodbye as they depart.

"Thank you, come again. Thank you, please come again." Vicky says to the passengers as they depart. Eventually she comes across Jack who looks at her with a funny expression as she glares at him.

"Uhm, sorry about the trouble on board. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time, right?" he says while chuckling slightly in a geeky manner.

"Have a good day, sir" Vicky says in a stern voice.

"Don't I get a please come again?" Jack asks with a chuckle.

"Good-bye!" Vicky says, raising her tone slightly.

Jack exits the plane and walks up the jetway into the airport. Chrissy follows up. Inside the terminal, he turns to Chrissy.

"Well Chrissy, can I interest you in a drink at the Regal Beagle for old time sake?" Jack asks. "I know Janet, Larry, and Mr. Furley would love to see you again."

"Oh Jack, that's sweet. But I have to be going. My father's party is in just a few hours. And I want to make sure I'm there in plenty of time." Chrissy says to Jack.

"Oh, okay. Well, maybe tomorrow then?" Jack asks.

"I fly back home tomorrow." Chrissy says with a disappointed look on her face. The expression on Jack's face instantly turns to one of sadness as he realizes right then and there that this may be the last time he ever sees Chrissy again.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess this is it then, huh?" Jack says sadly.

"I guess so." Chrissy says. There is a moment of silence in between them as both are feeling sad that they have to depart. They both had a wonderful time catching up and are sad that it is ending. "Well, don't I get a hug?"

"A hug? Oh yes, of course." Jack says as he goes over and hugs Chrissy tightly as she wraps her arms around him and hugs back. "It was so good to see you again, Chrissy. And I'll be sure to tell Janet and everyone that you said hello."

"And I'll be sure to tell everyone back home that you said hello too." Chrissy says.

"But nobody in San Francisco knows who I am." Jack says with a confused look on his face.

"And they never will if you don't start introducing yourself." Chrissy says as she laughs and snorts at the same time in typical Chrissy Snow fashion. Jack chuckles, holding back the sadness he is feeling at that particular moment.

"Well, take care, Chrissy." Jack says.

"You too, Jack. It was great seeing you again." Chrissy says. She waves at him with a sad look on her face and turns around and starts to walk away. As Jack watches her walk away, the reality that he may never see her again starts to set in hard. At that instant, he knows he can't let her just leave like this. And before she gets too far away, he chases after her.

"Chrissy! Chrissy, wait up!" Jack yells out as he goes rushing over to Chrissy, who turns around and looks at him.

"Jack, what is it?" Chrissy asks.

"Chrissy, will you come to my bistro tonight? You know, after the party." Jack asks.

"Jack, I don't know. I mean….." Chrissy starts.

"Chrissy please, it would mean a lot to me if you saw my restaurant while you're in town. I'll prepare a dish you will never forget and it will be entirely on me." Jack says.

"Well Jack, that's sweet." Chrissy says. "But this party may run really late and I don't know."

"Oh Chrissy, please. You may never get another chance like this again." Jack says, practically pleading.

Chrissy sighs, taking a deep breath. "Well, all right, Jack. I'll think about it." Chrissy says.

"Great you'll…Think about it?" Jack says.

"That's right." Chrissy says.

"Well, how will I know whether you're coming or not?" Jack asks.

"Well, if I'm not there by 9:00, I'm not coming. I never eat after then, it gives me nightmares." Chrissy says. At that point, she leans in and gives Jack a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Jack. It was so wonderful to see you again." she says with a cheerful smile. She turns around and walks away.

Jack stands there waving at her. As he watches her walk away again, he begins to feel funny. He can't put his finger on it. He lives with her for four years and saw her every day. But now, watching her walk away in the airport, he's suddenly seeing her in a different way, a way he's never seen her before.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**A/N: All reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Jack's well kept secret

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Three's Company or any of the characters involved in this story.**

* * *

Jack comes rushing into the apartment from outside, having just taken a taxi from the airport back to the apartment. He comes rushing in, carrying one suit case which he immediately takes back to his room and puts on his bed. He then comes back out and checks to see if the girls are home.

"Janet?" Jack calls out. "Terri?" he yells after there is no answer from Janet. After checking both the kitchen and the girl's bedroom, he realizes that Janet and Terri aren't there. He assumes they went down to the Regal Beagle for a drink. But unbeknownst to him, they went out to look at bridesmaid dresses for Janet's wedding.

Jack figures it's just as well. He was pretty anxious to get down to his bistro and didn't really want to get caught up in chit chat. He just wanted to change clothes and get down to the restaurant, hoping with all hope that Chrissy would decide to take him up on his offer to have dinner there.

As Jack starts to walk to his bedroom, Larry comes rushing in. Jack left the door wide open so Larry just walked in from upstairs seeming really eager to talk to Jack.

"Hey Jacko, your home." Larry says, his black silk shirt with one button un-buttoned exposing the chest hair and gold chains around his neck.

"Oh, hey Lar." Jack says. "Have you seen Janet or Terri around?"

"Uhm yeah. I saw them leaving a little while ago. You know, Janet seemed really giddy." Larry says.

"Really? Well, who can blame her? After all, she knew I was coming home today." Jack says with a chuckle as Larry chuckles along. "So, what can I do for you, Larry?"

Larry grins devilishly as he looks at Jack and puts both his hands on Jack's shoulders. "It's not what you can do for me. Jack, baby, I've done something for you that's going to make your head spin."

Jack looks at Larry. He's seen this look before and has heard this tone in Larry's voice. He knows it can only mean one thing, trouble for him. "I don't think I want to hear this, Larry." Jack says as he darts past Larry and goes into the kitchen. Larry quickly follows him in.

"Jack, come on." Larry begs.

"Larry, every time I 'come on' to one of your suggestions it always winds up with me getting either a drink or someone's dinner dumped over my head. Now, enough is enough. I'm serious." Jack says as he goes into the refrigerator and grabs two beers. He hands one to Larry and opens up the other one as he sits down.

"Jack, just hear me out, okay. This isn't just another blind date I've set you up on. In fact, it's a double date." Larry says.

"I told you, I'm not listening." Jack says as he closes his eyes and turns away from Larry in a childlike manner.

"Well try not listening to this. Tonight, I have fixed us up on a double date with the Swedish Johansson twins. You know, those two ski bunnies that sometimes come into the Regal Beagle still wearing those fur coats and black tights?" Larry says as he nudges Jack on the shoulder and purrs.

"Inga and Tyra?" asks Jack as he turns around to look at Larry.

"See, you know who I'm talking about. I got it all set up. Tonight, you and I pick them up at their penthouse apartment. We take them out for a night of dinner, dancing, maybe a little moonlight stroll on the beach, then after a few glasses of wine, we go back to their place where they have two bedrooms and from there we just let the night run itself. What do you say, huh?" Larry says as he wiggles his eyebrows at Jack in an encouraging manner.

"I say no. I have to be at the Bistro. I got something very important going on there tonight." Jack says. At this point, unbeknownst to either Jack or Larry, Mr. Furley comes into the apartment. He is there to fix the thermostat, as the roommates have noticed there has been a heating problem lately. But he overhears Jack and Larry in the kitchen and can't help but eavesdrop.

"Jack, baby, you're breaking my heart here. I've been planning out this night for us for weeks now." Larry says. At this point, Mr. Furley who already thinks Jack is gay immediately starts to jump to conclusions and his eyes start to grow wide.

"Larry, I'm sorry. But I just can't. Not tonight." Jack says. Mr. Furley continues to listen in.

"Come on, Jack. I thought you liked romantic, candle lit dinners." Larry replies. Mr. Furley's eyeballs grow wider.

"Look, I'm telling you, Larry. Tonight is just not the night for this to happen. I'm not in the mood." Jack replies.

"Oh, I think you'll start to feel a little differently after dinner when we're out on the beach, with the gentle breeze in your hair, the bright moonlight glowing over the water, and the feel of that soft moist hand holding, the smell of that perfume you love while having your ear nibbled." Larry replies. Mr. Furley's eyeballs look as if they are about to pop out of his head at this point as he has really taken this entire conversation out of context and thinks that Jack and Larry are talking about themselves and not about a possible date with two Swedish girl twins.

"Okay, I'll admit. It's a tempting offer, Larry, but I just can't. I mean sure it would give me temporary satisfaction, but I'd wind up hating myself it in the morning." Jack says. Mr. Furley begins looking around the apartment in panic, his wide eyeballs and panicked look says it all.

"Come on, Jack. You know you want it. You've wanted this for so long, and now here it is. Why would you say no now?" Larry asks. At this point, Mr. Furley goes into one of his phases where his eyes are wide and his cheeks begin to pucker and it looks as if he's about to hyperventilate. Jack, meanwhile finishes his beer, throws his can away and heads out into the living room.

"Larry, the answer is no. And that's final." Jack says as he walks into the living room and Larry follows him. They both spot Mr. Furley.

"Oh, hi Mr. Furley." Larry says. When he doesn't respond, Jack and Larry look over at him.

"Mr. Furley, are you all right?" Jack asks. He then notices that Mr. Furley is twitching. "Oh my God, he's hyperventilating." Jack says as he and Larry rush over to Mr. Furley. "Mr. Furley, come on. BREATHE, MR. FURLEY!" screams Jack as Mr. Furley twitches with his wide eyeballs showing.

"Jack, we better get him on the couch." Larry says. Jack grabs Mr. Furley by one arm and Larry grabs him by the other as they escort him over to the couch in the middle of the living room.

"Come on, Mr. Furley. Inhale, exhale, through the nose, into the lungs." Jack says, trying to reassure Mr. Furley who slowly but surely begins to start breathing normally. Eventually, after regaining his composure, he looks up at Jack and Larry. "Mr. Furley, are you all right?"

"Am I all right?" Mr. Furley screams in disbelief. "Forget about me. What about you?"

"Huh?" mutters Larry.

"Mr. Furley, what are you talking about?" Jack asks.

"Don't play dumb with me, Jack. I know what the two of you are up to. And I should have seen it coming a long time ago. With as much time as you two spend together, this sort of thing spreads like the plague." Mr. Furley says as he slowly gets to his feet.

"Mr. Furley, come on, now." Jack says as he reaches out toward him.

"Don't touch me." Mr. Furley says as he karate chops down to his waist. "I'm warning you. I'm like a caged tiger when backed into a corner." Mr. Furley cries, with his adrenaline running and his eyeballs flaring. He slowly backs away from Jack and Larry, not turning his back to them at any point. "Now, whatever's floating around the air up here, I don't want it.

"Well, what did you come up here for in the first place?" Jack asks.

"I came up to fix your thermostat. But I think it's a hot enough up here." Mr. Furley says as he darts for the door. "Now I run a respectable apartment building. So this thing you two got going, you better keep to yourselves. Otherwise, out you go!"

"Mr. Furley." Jack cries out.

"Don't toy with me, Jack. I'm the building manager, and I'm putting my foot down." Mr. Furley says assertively as he picks up his foot and stomps it on the floor, not realizing that he stomped his foot down right no top of the other one. He starts hopping around as a look of pain goes across his face as he hops out of the apartment. Jack and Larry just look at each other in bewilderment as Jack closes the door.

"What's with him?" Jack asks.

"I don't know. I think the pressure of the job is getting to him." Larry replies.

"What pressure?" Jack asks. Larry shakes his head.

"Never mind. So listen, Jack, about tonight?" Larry asks.

"Look, I already told you. The answer is no. Now, if you don't mind, I got to get ready for my date….." Jack says, instantly realizing he made a Freudian slip of the tongue. "ehhh, I mean work, I got to get ready to go to work."

At this point, Larry begins to grin like the Cheshire cat. "Ahh, the clouds begin to lift." Larry says.

"No Larry, it was a slip. I meant to say." Jack says.

"Who is she, Jack?" Larry asks insistently.

"Out, Larry." Jack says as he begins to shoe Larry out the door.

"Come on, buddy, I went through all this trouble to set us up with the Johansson twins. The least you can do is level with me." Larry says as Jack continues to shoe him out the door.

"Goodbye, Larry." Jack says insistently.

"Well, all right Jack. But if things don't work out, you can still catch up with Inga and Tyra. Will be at….?" Larry starts to say, but Jack closes the door in his face before Larry can finish his thought.

With Larry gone, Jack begins to get ready for what he hopes will be his second encounter of the day with Chrissy. He goes to his room and picks out his best suit. After he showers, shaves, puts on his best cologne, and spends a good ten minutes grooming himself, he goes to the refrigerator and grabs a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator, an expensive bottle that he's been saving for a special occasion.

As he glances over himself in the mirror one more time to make sure everything is in place, he begins to feel nervous, so nervous that he can almost feel himself trembling. He has no idea what is making him this nervous. He just knows he desperately hopes that Chrissy will show up tonight. And if she doesn't show up, that may mean he'll never see her again. Not a thought he wants to entertain at this moment.

He doesn't know why, but something about his time with her on the airplane has made Jack see Chrissy in a whole new light. The patience she showed toward him, even when he was acting like a crazy guy, was something he thought was very sweet. Most girls would have been ready to kill him after getting locked in the bathroom, but not Chrissy. She just smiled and laughed that Chrissy Snow laugh as they reminisced about all the fun they had back when they were roommates. But now, that seems like so long ago.

With one last glance, Jack grabs the bottle of Champagne, straightens his tie and starts to dart out the door, until he remembers that he should probably bring flowers if he really wants to impress her. He doesn't have time to stop off at a flower shop. So instead he just goes to the kitchen and grabs the flowers that are sitting in a vase in the middle of the table and starts to dart out the door. Only this time, he runs into Janet and Terri who are coming in just as he's going out.

"Hi Jack." greets Terri. "How was San Francisco?"

"Uhm great. Listen Terri, I can't talk now, I'm…." Jack starts

"Oh hi, Jack." Janet greets as she walks in behind Terri with excitement in her voice. "Oh Jack, I have got to tell you something. I got the most exciting news..."

"That's great, Janet. Listen, you can tell me tomorrow. Right now, I'm late." Jack says.

"Late? For what? You just got home." says Janet who notices that Jack is dressed up extra spiffy. "Jack, where are you going all dressed up like that?"

"Uhm…." Jack stutters as he tries to think of the quickest lie he can think of. "To church." he blurts out.

"Church? On a Friday night?" asks Terri.

"Jack, come on, you haven't been to church in how many years?" Janet asks.

"Well Janet, now's as good a time as any to start. So, ta ta." Jack says as he tries to get out the door, but Janet grabs him by the arm as she notices the flowers and the bottle of champagne he's carrying.

"Aren't those the flowers I brought home from the shop for the kitchen table?" Janet asks.

"Yes, well, they were starting to go bad and I just figured I'd put them out of their misery." Jack says with a sheepish grin as he tries to cover up lie after lie that comes out of his mouth.

"Jack, I just brought them home yesterday. And I know you aren't going to church with that bottle of champagne." Janet says as she folds her arms and glares at Jack.

"Well see, I don't have any money for the offering and so I just grabbed the first thing I could find and….." Jack says.

"Jack Tripper, you better stop with the lies and tell me where you are going this instant." Janet says sternly.

Jack takes a deep breathe, realizing he's backed into a corner. "All right, Janet. You got me. I'm actually going to meet up with an old friend tonight." Jack says.

"Oh?" Janet asks. "Well see, that wasn't so bad. Why did you feel like you had to hide that?" Janet asks. Jack just looks at her and shrugs his shoulders. "Jack, who are you meeting up with? It must be somebody special for you to go out dressed like that with flowers and champagne."

"Oh believe me, it is." Jack says.

"Well come on, Jack. Spill it." Terri says from across the room.

"All right, all right." Jack says. It's on the tip of his tongue to tell the girls that he is meeting up with Chrissy. But he knows if he does, one of two things will happen. Either Janet will get on him about trying to romance his old roommate. Or the girls will want to come along too. And the truth is, he really just wants to have an evening along with Chrissy. So again, he quickly conjures up the quickest lie he can think of.

"It's uhm, it's Larry." Jack says.

"LARRY?" Janet and Terri say simultaneously with shock in their voice. At that point, unbeknownst to any of the three, Mr. Furley has come back up to the apartment with the intent on fixing the thermostat again and has eavesdropped just in time to hear what Jack and Janet say next.

"You mean you got all dressed up with flowers and your best bottle of champagne for Larry?" Janet asks.

"Sure. I mean tonight's a very special night for the two of us." Jack says. At that point, Mr. Furley completely misunderstands the context and takes it to mean something more intimate. His eyeballs once again are about to burst out of his head as he gapes. He grabs his head, indicating he has a headache and heads back down stairs before anyone sees him.

"Oh come on, Jack. I don't believe it." Janet says.

"Well, it's true. Tonight's our uhm…" Jack stutters as he pauses, trying to think of a good excuse. "Tonight's our friendship anniversary."

"Friendship anniversary?" Terri asks with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, don't you know? Today's the uhm, today's the anniversary of the day that Larry and I met." Jack says, lying through his teeth and gritting them at the same time as he realizes how stupid he's sounding.

"You can remember the day that you met Larry? Yet you can't remember the day the rent is due?" Janet interrogates.

"Uhm, well yeah. It's one of those selective memory things. I guess it's a sign of old age." Jack says in his comical lying manner. "Oh well, would you look at the time. Don't want to keep Larry waiting." Jack says with a grin on his face, as he tries to hide everything.

"But Jack, I really got some important news to tell you." Janet says.

"And I promise, Janet, tommorow I will sit down and listen to every word you have to say. But right now, I got to get going. So, I'll see you later, girls." Jack says as he darts out the door and down the steps while he can, leaving Janet and Terri in the apartment alone.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" Terri says in disbelief. "You have the biggest news of your life and he won't even listen. He just darts out to see Larry."

Janet shakes her head. "Trust me, Terri. Jack didn't go out to see Larry tonight. I know." Janet says.

Terri gapes. "Well, then who did he go out to see? Greedy Gretchen or that new waitress down at the Regal Beagle?" Terri asks.

Janet shakes her head. "No Terri. I don't know who it is. But I know the look in Jack's eye. The one who he is going out with tonight isn't just another fling. This is somebody really special. I can tell because Jack is going out of his way to make a good impression. I mean, way beyond the usual shave and throw on whatever's clean. Did you see him? He really went all out."

"Well, who do you think it can be?" Terri asks.

Janet shakes her head. "I don't know. But believe me, I'm going to find out."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chrissy visits Jack's Bistro

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Three's Company or any of the characters involved in this story.**

* * *

Jack rushes into his bistro, wearing his best suit and carrying his bottle of champagne in one hand and the flowers he took from the kitchen table in the other. He glances around the restaurant to see if Chrissy has come in yet, and much to his relief she hasn't.

He wanted to get there before her so he would have time to prepare as he really wants to make a good impression with her. His stomach is in knots and his knees are knocking. He can't ever remember being this nervous before.

Jack goes back into the kitchen, where his cook is working.

"Mr. Tripper, I didn't know you were coming in tonight." says the cook.

"Hi Dan. Yeah, look, there's been a change in plans. I have someone very important coming in tonight and I really want to make a good impression." Jack says. "So, I need you to put these in water." Jack says as he hands the flowers to Dan.

"Right." Dan replies as he grabs the flowers and puts them in a glass vase and fills it part of the way with water.

"And I need this to be chilled in the refrigerator at just the right temperature, if you know what I mean." Jack says with a slight chuckle.

"I read you loud and clear." Dan says as he takes the champagne, puts it in the refrigerator and adjusts the temperature slightly.

"And I need you to start preparing one of our Buffon de Crouttes. We need to have it ready to go at any time, because I'm not sure when my guest is arriving. Also, I want to have a dish of baked Alaska made from scratch but kept frozen and fresh in the freezer." Jack says. "And I'm thinking I may dim the lights in the dining room. What do you think?"

"I think whoever it is you got coming tonight must be really important. This meal you're having me make is the finest thing on the menu." Dan replies. "I just hope they brought their credit cards. This stuff ain't cheap, you know?"

At this point, Mr. Angelino walks into the kitchen. But Jack doesn't see him as he has his back turned to the door.

"Yeah, well lucky for my guest tonight, this one is on the house."

"ON THE HOUSE?" Mr. Angelino says in his typical loud and stern tone. Jack reacts by smiling in an awkward manner and turning around slowly. "TRIPPER!" Mr. Angelino scolds with his hands on his hips. "Did I just hear you say that you are cooking one of your premiere dishes for a guest tonight, and it's on the house?"

"Uhm, no sir. I didn't say 'on the house.' I said I found a mouse. Yes, see I found a little mouse over by the refrigerator earlier. I'm thinking of keeping him for a pet. I call him Mickey. See." Jack says with a nerdy giggle as he chuckles with an embarrassed look of having gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"TRIPPER!" Mr. Angelino shouts again. "Just what kind of a buffoon do you take me for?"

"A very understanding one." Jack says and then starts to stutter and make bite his lip making crazy faces as he prances around the kitchen, quickly trying to find a way to atone for his mistake. "I mean, he he he…" Jack starts to say while blushing and stuttering. "I meant to say, you're not a buffoon, Mr. Angelino. You're not."

"Good. Now let's start over form the beginning." Mr. Angelino says. "Why don't you tell me just who it is you are planning to bring in here tonight and serve a free meal to? We're running a restaurant here, Tripper. Not a soup kitchen."

"Yes, Mr. Angelino. I understand that. But you see, while I was up in San Francisco. I met….." Jack begins to say but gets cut off in mid-sentence.

"Wait, hold it. Don't tell me. Let me guess. You met a very big name chef up there, told them about your restaurant, and they were so impressed that they flew all the way down here to try it out. Am I right?" Mr. Angelino asks with excitement in his voice.

"Well, in a manner of speaking…" Jack starts to say.

"Tripper, do you know what this means?" Mr. Angelino asks.

"That I should make sure not to overcook the Crutte?" Jack asks, faking a smile.

"It means that someone is so impressed that he is thinking of partnering up with you and expanding." Mr. Angelino says. Jack stands there, looking at Mr. Angelino with a befuddled look on his face.

"Come again?" asks Jack.

"Tripper, chefs don't fly somewhere just to try out a restaurant unless they're seriously interested in investing themselves. You know what this means?" Mr. Angelino says.

"That, I should charge them?" Jack asks.

"Are you crazy? Not a chance. I want you to wine this person, dine this person. Show them the best cooking in L.A. and when they leave here, I want them to be so impressed that they can't get you out of their head. You can do that for me, can't you, Tripper?" Mr. Angelino asks as he puts his hands on Jack's shoulders.

"Hey, you know me." Jack says with an uncomfortable grin on as he bites his lip.

"Yeah, I do. That's why I think I better stick around." Mr. Angelino says.

"Yeah, that's why….." Jack stops as he realizes what Mr. Angelino just said. "You what?"

"You heard me. This is too important to leave to you. You're a good chef, Tripper. But you don't have the seasoned experience at dealing with people high up on the pecking order. That is why I'm going to stick around tonight, just to make sure things run smoothly." Mr. Angelino says.

"Oh, Mr. Angelino, you really don't have to…." Jack says in a quiet and dejected tone as he sees his special dinner with Chrissy going up in smoke right in front of his very eyes.

Uh, not another word, Tripper. Now I promise, you won't hear a peep out of me until then. But you better let me know when they're here. All right?" Mr. Angelino asks. Jack just smiles awkwardly and nods. "That's my boy." Mr. Angelino says as he pats Jack on the shoulder and walks out of the kitchen.

Jack turns to look at his cook with an anguished grin on his face, realizing he's gotten himself into another jam that he has no idea how he's going to get out of.

* * *

As minutes turn into hours, Jack begins to grow more hopeless of Chrissy showing up. And Mr. Angelino continues to grow more impatient.

Before he knows it, it's 8:45. And he remembers Chrissy saying that she never ate after 9 o'clock. Maybe reality was finally striking him that anything he thought he might have felt was nothing more than nostalgia. Maybe meeting Chrissy on the plane was just a coincidence that when it was all said and done, he'd go his way and she'd go hers. Whatever the situation, with each passing minute, Jack is losing more and more hope of her coming into the restaurant.

An impatient and flustered looking Mr. Angelino walks over to Jack as he's standing up against the doorway to the kitchen.

"Exactly when did your guest say that they were coming in?" Mr. Angelino asks, while gritting his teeth slightly.

"Well, you see, they weren't exactly really clear on that, sir." Jack says in an unconfident tone.

Mr. Angelino sighs. "I see. Well, for your sake, Tripper, somebody of importance better walk through that front door and they better walk through it soon." he says.

Jack frowns slightly as he goes over and grabs two entrees from the kitchen window that two customers had ordered. "There you are one coq au vin and one filet de salmon." Jack says as he puts the two plates down in front of the couple at the table.

"Uhm, can we get some more white wine?" The man at the table asks.

"Oh yes, certainly." Jack says as he goes and grabs the nearest bottle of wine and begins pouring it into the glass that is already on the table.

At that point, the front door opens and Jack's attention is immediately diverted as Chrissy walks into the restaurant and looks around. She is wearing a short black dress and her hair is all the way down and not up in the traditional side pony tails that Jack is used to seeing on her. As he gazes at his former roommate, he loses track of what he is doing. And through his natural klutziness, over pours the wine into the glass and it starts spilling out onto the table.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it!" The man at the table shouts out. Jack is brought back to reality as he sits the bottle up right and puts it on the table, blushing with an embarrassed look at having made a fool out of himself in front of Chrissy.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I'm so sorry." Jack says apologetically. He then goes over and grabs a towel and throws it at the guy, not paying attention as the towel lands on his face.

"Excuse me?" the man asks in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, uhm, the wine's on the table. Just help yourself." Jack says. His complete and total attention is on Chrissy who by now has seen him. Her face has lit up having seen Jack, and he can't help but think she looks like a sweet little angel standing there. Her face and her smile would brighten even the rainiest of days.

"Chrissy!" Jack says as he goes rushing over to her. "I'm so glad you made it. I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it." Jack says with excitement in his voice.

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't have missed seeing you again for anything." Chrissy says, her face glowing with excitement.

"Are you serious? Anything?" Jack asks.

"Well, Daddy's party ran kind of late. So I almost missed it for something, but that's just one small something, so I almost missed it for that one something, but that's the only something out of anything that I would have missed it for. But I didn't miss it, so I didn't miss it for something. And that something is part of anything. So yeah, you're right. I wouldn't have missed it for anything." Chrissy says.

Jack looks at her with confusion at first. Such confusing rants had become typical and something he had grown use to back when they lived together. And seeing her now, after several years, he realizes that's just one of many things about her that he's missed.

"Jack, are you all right?" Chrissy asks as she notices that Jack is starring at her.

Jack chuckles slightly. "Yeah. I'm….I just forgot how cute you could be sometimes." Jack says, sparking a smile from Chrissy as the two gaze into each other's eyes. Jack slowly moves his hand towards hers. But before the two make contact, they are interrupted by Mr. Angelino.

"Tripper!" Mr. Angelino greets. "This must be that amazing new contact you at met at the chef's convention in San Francisco?" Jack gulps as he looks at Chrissy who stares back at him with a blank look on her face, not knowing what's going on and looking at him for answers. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" Mr. Angelino asks.

"Introduce you?" Jack asks as he's first confused, but then suddenly remembers what he's talking about. "Oh right. Chrissy Snow, this is Mr. Angelino. He owns this building and several restaurants. He's the one who gave me the opportunity to run my own restaurant."

"Yes, a decision I have never regretted, not for an instant." Mr. Angelino says with a snicker as he pats Jack on the shoulder, but obviously lying. "So, uhm Ms. Snow is it? Where might I have sampled your work?" Mr. Angelino asks.

"My work?" Chrissy asks, not knowing what he's talking about.

"Yes. Surely you must have cooked something that I tasted somewhere." Mr. Angelino asks.

"Oh? Well….In 4th grade, I baked some chocolate chip cookies for everyone at the Christmas play. Were you in the audience?"

"What?" Mr. Angelino asks with a confused look on his face. Jack quickly jumps in, trying to divert the conversation from what he sees as a conversation that's heading for disaster.

"Oh, she's kidding, sir. She's just kidding." Jack says.

"Ahh, someone with a sense of humor, I like. You know, I always say, a happy restaurant is one where the customers laugh." Mr. Angelino says.

Chrissy shoots Mr. Angelino one of her funny clueless looks. "Doesn't that make it kind of hard to eat, when you're laughing at the same time?" Chrissy says. Jack snickers at her comments. It was a typical Chrissy Snow remark, but it managed to put Mr. Angelino in his place.

"Ah well, yes, you're right." Mr. Angelino says. At this point, a family of four walks into Jack's Bistro. The family consists of a wealthy looking father and mother, as well as two well-dressed and well behaved kids, a boy and a girl. Jack uses this to divert the attention away from the conversation as he politely dismisses himself to go seat the family. Chrissy and Mr. Angelino watch on.

"Hi, welcome to Jack's Bistro, how many will be dining this evening?" Jack asks.

"Well, we don't know if we're dining here yet. What kind of food do you serve?" asks the man.

"Well, we serve the very best in French cuisine." Jack says. "Would you care to see a menu?"

"French cuisine, eh?" The man says as he rubs his chin and ponders for a moment. "I must admit, it sounds tempting. But I'm guessing you probably have anything on the menu for children, do you?"

"For children?" repeats Jack.

"Yes. See, while my wife and I might enjoy your restaurant, our children aren't quite ready to appreciate the fine dining of higher class food, if you catch my drift. So, I'm afraid we'll have to dine somewhere more appropriate." The man says. The family starts to walk out.

Jack starts to look embarrassed, feeling like he's made a fool out of himself in front of Chrissy as well as Mr. Angelino. Chrissy sees this and feels the need to do something and immediately feels the need to jump in and help Jack.

"Well, all right. We understand. I mean, you'd probably like a place that's a little noisier anyways. You know, lots of kids running around for your children to play with. In fact, I think there's a pizza parlor with an arcade a couple of blocks away." Chrissy says.

"Pizza Parlor?" The man says.

"Yeah, it's where all the kids like to go. There all kinds of games and stuff. Well, I was there once and while I have to admit the food wasn't all that great, but the sound of dozens of kids screaming and laughing and running around all over the place, that was what made it memorable. Why I can remember one little boy knocked me over while I was carrying a pitcher of Pepsi, it totally ruined a new dress I had just bought. But he said he was sorry." Chrissy says with a cheerful smile.

"New dress?" the wife asks as she looks at the own dress she's wearing with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, well I'm sure you guys have good food here, but I just don't think our children are ready for that just yet." The man says.

"Yeah, I understand. I mean, I'm sure if you ask nicely, Jack here could have the cook make a couple of hamburgers. But I don't want to keep you from you from the arcade, so let me give you the directions." Chrissy says.

The family discusses things over briefly amongst themselves. They then turn to Jack.

"Do you really make hamburgers here?" the man asks. Mr. Angelino elbows Jack in the ribs.

"Well, I can have Dan cook up a couple." Jack says.

"All right. We'll eat here." The man says.

"Well, I understand if…..really?" Jack says, getting caught off guard.

"Yes. And we certainly do appreciate you going the extra mile to accommodate us. I have plenty of friends who also have kids. And I'm sure they'll like to know what an accommodating restaurant this is. French Cuisine, but not to stuck up to cook something simple for kids." The man says. Jack smiles, as Mr. Angelino looks on.

"Thank you, sir. If you'll follow me, right this way." Jack says as he leads the family to an open table and hands them four menus. "Just take your time and look over the menu, and your waiter will be right with you." Jack says.

Jack walks over to Mr. Angelino and Chrissy as Mr. Angelino is smiling at her. "I must say, I'm quite impressed with how you handled that."

"Yeah well, you know it's always good to have something for kids. Because you know parents aren't going to want to take their kids somewhere and hear them complain about having to eat snails and things. Believe me, I know, I was one of those kids when I was little." Chrissy says as she laughs and snorts slightly.

"A kid's menu? What an excellent idea." Mr. Angelino says with a pleased look on his face as he turns to Jack. "Tripper, did you hear what Ms. Snow just said?"

"Uhm, no I didn't." Jack replies.

"Well, you need to open your ears, man. Listen to what this beautiful young woman has to say. You might learn something." Mr. Angelino says.

"Learn something?" Jack repeats.

"Yes, in fact, I'm going to leave now. Because I think you need all the advice you can get." Mr. Angelino says. Jack grins slightly as he's wanted Mr. Angelino to leave all along. Mr. Angelino turns to Chrissy. "Ms. Snow, it was nice meeting you. Please do drop by again. Maybe some of your genius will wear off on Tripper here."

Chrissy chuckles slightly as she's not use to being called a genius. "Tripper I got just one thing to say to you. Listen to what she has to say." Mr. Angelino says as he gives Jack a long hard look before turning around and walking out of the restaurant.

"A genius? My my, Ms. Snow, you sure have come a long way." Jack says to Chrissy in a joking manner.

"Not that far. I only flew down from San Francisco." Chrissy replies with one of her less than intelligent remarks. Jack doesn't care as he finds it humorous.

"Well, never the less, you left a very good impression on my Mr. Angelino and that is next to impossible to do." Jack says with a grin as he reaches out and leads Chrissy over to a table that he has set up for him and her.

"And here we are, welcome to Jack's Bistro." Jack says with a grin as he holds his arms outstretched. "So what do you think?"

"It's very nice, Jack. Really, this is incredible." says Chrissy in a polite tone as she looks around at the small restaurant that Jack has been running for nearly 2 years.

"Well, just wait until you try the food. I have prepared one of our best dishes for tonight." Jack says. "You just wait right here and I'll see how it's going."

Jack rushes back into the kitchen to instruct his cook to finish the Buffon de Crutte and grabs the bottle of champagne from the refrigerator and brings it out to Chrissy in the dining room.

"Okay Chrissy, here we go. Our finest bottle of Perrier-Jouet." Jack says as he takes the gold wrapping off of the bottle neck and then tries to pop the cork but has trouble as he strains, finally sitting down and leaning back, trying to use all his strength to pop it.

"Looks like some idiot left a cork in the bottle, huh?" Chrissy says jokingly. Jack looks at her and smiles not really being able to tell if she's serious or joking. Finally have several tries jack is able to pop the cork which makes a real loud noise. Jack shakes his hand off and clumsily fumbles with the bottle as the champagne fizzes out all over the floor. In his rush to try to contain it, he grabs the table cloth and uses that to cover the bottle.

As Jack fumbles around with the champagne bottle, Chrissy giggles and then begins to outright laugh. Jack's klutziness has always made her laugh. She wasn't laughing at him. But he had a way of making her laugh really hard that no other guy has ever been able to duplicate.

"Woah, sorry about that, Chrissy. This bottle has a mind of its own." Jack says.

"Oh, it's okay, Jack. I'm not laughing at you. I'm just…" Chrissy says as she tries to contain her laughter.

"…..laughing at me?" Jack says finishing her statement as he begins to pour the champagne into the glasses that already on the table.

"No Jack, what I meant was….." Chrissy starts.

"It's okay, Chrissy. I don't mind. To be honest, I've kind of missed hearing you laugh. So go on, laugh your little heart out." Jack says with a smile on his face as he finishes pouring the champagne and sits down. "So, can I make a toast?" Jack asks.

"Well sure, if you'd like." Chrissy replies. "But I still want my French food. I know how to make toast myself." Chrissy says as she laughs and snorts at the same time. Jack just sits there, grinning in amusement as he picks up his glass of champagne.

"Here's to me leaving my wallet in my taxi this morning, which caused me to miss my original flight and put me on the flight home with you, where I had an absolutely delightful time." Jack says as he holds up his glass and clinks it with Chrissy's.

"Here…here." Chrissy says as they both drink, then put their glasses down and look at each other. While there are still other customers in the restaurant, the connection and electricity that Jack and Chrissy can feel between themselves is making them feel as if it is just the two of them there as neither one can look away from the others eyes for too long.

* * *

About two hours later, the restaurant is empty as the other customers have gone home and the closed sign has been put on the front door.

Jack and Chrissy have eaten there main course and are now finishing their dessert. With the rest of the customers gone, Jack has dimmed the lights and lit a couple of candles which he's put on the table in an effort to make things more cozy and enjoyable for Chrissy.

As Chrissy finishes her baked Alaska that Jack had prepared for her, the two continue to catch up as Jack has been telling her some of the funny happenings that have been going on since she left.

"So then I found out the contest was only for women. And initially I was going to withdraw, but then I got the crazy idea to put on a wig and a dress and pose as Grandma Tripper." Jack says with a smile as Chrissy begins to laugh hysterically, no snorting this time, just pure laughter which delights Jack to hear.

"Ohhhhh my. Grandma Tripper. Jack, only you would get the idea to do something that crazy." Chrissy says.

"Well yeah, but Janet and Teri played a part in it too. After all they were the ones who kept calling me granny." Jack says. Chrissy laughs even harder, as she reaches over and grabs Jack's knee. Jack doesn't notice it at first, but when he looks down and notices Chrissy's hand on his knee, he swears this is the first time that she's ever felt that comfortable enough with him to do that.

The moment would be broken up by the cook, who comes out from the kitchen. Jack turns his attention to him.

"Mr. Tripper. I'm all finished up in the kitchen. So if you don't need me for anything else, I think I'll call it an evening." Dan says.

"All right, Dan. Good work, tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." Jack says. Dan grabs his coats and exits through the front door.

"Wow. Mr. Tripper." Chrissy says as she wiggles her eyebrows at Jack, referring to the fact that Jack is now being called 'Mr. Tripper' and has authority as a boss.

"Yeah, I know. I can hardly believe it myself." Jack says as he tugs at his shirt collar for a moment. "I mean, I hear someone call me 'Mr. Tripper' and I turn around and look for my father." Jack says as a joke, causing Chrissy to laugh.

"You know, Jack. This is amazing." Chrissy says.

"Uhm, what is?" asks Jack.

"Everything. This restaurant, the food, the decorations on the wall. It's just great how everything came together for you. Gosh Jack, you must be the happiest guy on Earth. You got everything you ever wanted." Chrissy says. At that moment Jack takes in those words.

"Right, everything I ever wanted." Jack says as he stares off at the wall, contemplating if he really does have everything he wants. Then he realizes, the one thing he is missing is someone special to live out his dream with.

"You sure have come a long way from the guy that Janet and I found in our bathtub eight years ago." Chrissy says.

"Oh yeah. I remember that morning." Jack says. "I remember waking up and looking at you two. Little did I know that after breakfast, you would offer me a place to live and it would lead to an amazing four years living there with you two."

"Four years? Jack, I think you lost track of your numbers. Haven't you been living there for eight years now?" Chrissy asks.

"Yeah, well. You're right, I have. But honestly Chrissy, it just hasn't been the same since you left. I mean, I can't put a finger on it. I mean Cindy was nice, and Teri's been great. But they aren't you." Jack says. "I got tell you, Chrissy. You're really beautiful and you just add so much to whatever place you are at."

"Jack, do you really mean that?" Chrissy asks as she stares at him. Jack, suddenly realizing what he says, tries to backtrack.

"Well, uhm, I mean sure. You know, you bring out the color in a place, I mean….." Jack stutters.

"Noooo, Jack. Not that. I mean, do you really think I'm beautiful?" asks Chrissy.

"Well, uhm. I…" Jack stutters. At that moment he adjusts his position in the chair and crosses his legs, putting one up over top the other, but in his typical klutzy manner, manages to kick over the ice bucket that the champagne was sitting in as ice spills out over the floor.

"Oh, oh no." Jack says.

"Oh my." replies Chrissy.

"Let me go grab the mop from the kitchen and clean this up." Jack says as he's looking for any excuse he can to break up the awkward moment that is causing him to get nervous.

"No, Jack wait." Chrissy says as she reaches out across the table and grabs Jack by the wrist before he can get up. "Did you really mean what you said?" Chrissy says in an assertive voice as she squeezes Jack's arm tighter and tighter.

"Chrissy, you're hurting my arm." Jack says as he looks down as his arm, then up at her.

"Just answer the question. Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Chrissy asks.

Jack takes a long hard look at the girl who he once shared an apartment with for four years. He has only a few seconds to give her an answer. At first, almost instinctively, he tries to come up with a fast answer to get him out of this uncomfortable situation, as he's done so many times in the past. But finally, he decides to just be honest.

"Yes Chrissy. I do mean it. I think you're very beautiful. In fact, this isn't the first time I've ever thought that. I've thought it for a long time." Jack says in a confessing tone.

"Oh Jack…" Chrissy moans softly.

"Please, don't hate me, Chrissy." Jack blurts out as he cringes.

"Hate you? Jack, I could never hate you. In fact, I'm so happy right now." Chrissy says with childlike excitement in her voice.

"You are?" Jack asks.

"Jack, I've felt this way for so long. But I didn't know that you felt that way, so I never said I felt the same way, but if you had told me you felt that way, I would have said that I felt the same way and we would have both been feeling the same way at the same time." Chrissy says in one of her ongoing rants, confusing Jack who sits there for a moment with a perplexed look on his face.

"Woah, back up for a moment. Can you run that by my one more time, only this time skip all the extra stuff and just get right to the point?" Jack asks.

"Jack, I think…no, no. I know I'm falling for you. I've had these feelings for a long time. You were the only decent guy I ever really knew. All the others, they just wanted one thing. But you, you were like having a best friend. And that's what I've always wanted." Chrissy says.

Jack sits there looking at Chrissy. "Well, why didn't you tell me all this years ago?" asks Jack.

"Well, there was Janet and the whole rule we had. And I didn't really want to ruin the friendship that the three of us had." Chrissy says.

"Oh yeah, there's that." Jack says. "You know, I'm sure Janet would…." Jack says.

"Jack, can I do something I've wanted to do for a long time?" Chrissy interrupts with excitement in her voice.

"Well, yeah, but don't you think…" Jack starts to say. But before he can finishes, Chrissy reaches out with her hands and reaches around Jack's neck to grab the back of his head and pulls him in toward her. Before he knows it, she is kissing him. Gently yet passionately, Jack and Chrissy sit there and share an intimate kiss. It only lasts for about 10 seconds, but it seems like a lot longer to both of them. They finally break from it, with Jack having been caught totally off guard, but loving every second of it. He looks over at Chrissy with a surprised look.

"I'm sorry, but how long have you been waiting to do that?" Jack asks.

Chrissy smiles as she looks up briefly and makes a cute face at Jack. "Oh, I'd say at least eight years." She says.

"Eight years?" Jack asks as he chuckles nervously. "Well, that's a long time to wait. Listen, do you mind doing it once more. I mean, just in case you didn't catch it the first time." Jack asks. Chrissy looks into his eyes and smiles.

This time Jack is prepared as he leans in and closes his eyes. Chrissy does the same tilting her head. Before they know it, they are kissing again, romantically and passionately. Jack whimpers slightly as Chrissy moans briefly. It is a moment that they both share and they both have longed for. And it is equally as magical to both of them.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. No more Janet

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Three's Company or any of the characters involved in the story.**

* * *

**A/N: This chapter detours away from the Jack/Chrissy story slightly and focuses on Jack & Janet's friendship as Jack finds out that Janet is getting married and has plans to find a new place to live. I wanted to do one chapter that focused on Jack & Janet.**

* * *

Jack wakes up earl in the morning at the apartment. After showering and getting into his green bath robe, he makes his way into the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast for Janet, Terri, and himself.

His previous night with Chrissy has him in such a good mood that he is smiling from ear to ear and strutting across the kitchen at one point sliding across the floor in his bare feet. He takes several eggs and in typical Jack Tripper fashion, throws them up over his head and catches them in the air and cracks them on the edge of the frying pan and puts them in. He even spins around while doing the last one.

Jack's been in good moods in the morning before after dates that went well. But this was something different. He wasn't just happy. He was jubilant. He felt that everything was perfect. After he left the restaurant with Chrissy, she mentioned she was flying back to San Francisco the next day. And Jack said he really wished she could stay longer because Janet would love to see her again. And without much thought, Chrissy agreed to stay in town for a few more days after Jack said he felt pretty certain that Janet and Terri would have no problems with her sleeping on the couch.

He hadn't even contemplated about anything long term or what he would do when Chrissy returned to San Francisco. All he knew was that he was happy because he was going to get to see Chrissy again today. And to him, that was all that mattered.

With the eggs cooking, Jack starts to sizzle some bacon in a frying pan on another burner on the stove. "Woooo, mama." Jack yells as he gives the pan a shake while the bacon sizzles.

Back in the living room, Janet and Terri have awoken to the sound of Jack gleefully fiddling around in the kitchen. Janet is the first out of the bedroom, followed by Terri. They are both intrigued by the sound of Jack singing in the kitchen. For Jack is in such a giddy mood that he has begun singing the Temptations 1960's song "My Girl" in that high pitch tone of his that has become accustom when he's either happy or highly emotional.

"I got sunshine, on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I got the month of May….I guess you say, what can make me feel this way….My Girl….my girl….my girl." Jack sings out loud as he uses his spatula as a pretend microphone.

Janet and Terri look at each other and giggle slightly.

"You think he had a good time last night?" Terri asks Janet. Janet listens to her roommate of 8 years sing. And she can tell in a second by the tone of in his voice that this isn't just another typical "Greedy Gretchen, everything went well" good mood that Jack was in. She knew that this was something different. She had never heard this kind of enthusiasm and excitement in him.

"I'd say the odds are pretty good." Janet replies casually Terri

"Either that or you told him about your engagement already?" Terri asks. Janet shakes her head.

"No. I was going to tell him last night, but he got in so late, I already went to bed." Janet says. "Oh well, guess I'll tell him now." Janet says as she starts to walk into the kitchen. Terri reaches out and grabs her arm before she can get in.

"Well wait a minute, are you just going to march right in there and tell him?" Terri asks.

Janet shrugs. "Sure, why not?" Janet replies.

"Well, why not have a little fun with it. See if he can guess it?" suggests Terri.

"Pft. Terri, Jack can read me like a book. He'll guess it in two seconds." Janet says.

"I'll bet you he doesn't guess this." Terri says.

"Really? You did." Janet replies.

"That's because I know you." Terri replies.

"Yeah, but so does Jack. I mean he has been living with me for eight years after all." Janet says.

"All right. Five bucks says it takes him more than five minutes." Terri says. Janet smirks and looks at Terri.

"You're on." Janet replies as she shakes Terri's hand to confirm the bet and then the two go walking into the kitchen to join Jack who is still singing jubilantly while finishing breakfast.

Jack turns around just as Janet and Terri walk through the kitchen.

"Ahhh, good morning, ladies. Oh, ahem, excuse me, lovely ladies." Jack says in a joyous mood as he puts two plates of eggs and bacon in Janet and Terri's spot at the table. "Ohhhh lookie, lookie, I made your favorite, eggs benedict and sizzling Canadian bacon. See, listen to that bacon sizzle."

"Yeah, something tells me that's not the only thing that's sizzling around here." Janet replies. At that point, Jack goes over and grabs two glasses of orange juice and puts them in front of Janet and Terri.

"And there you go, girls, freshly squeezed orange juice." Jack says with a smile.

"Freshly squeezed?" Terri asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Squeezed them with my own little fingers." Jack says in a cheerful tone with a nerdy chuckle. Janet and Terri look at each other, feeling more confident that Jack is not telling them about his latest love interest, who they don't know yet. Janet then decides to approach Jack more aggressively on the matter.

"Gee Jack, you sure do seem like you're in a good mood this morning." Janet says.

"And why shouldn't I be?" Jack replies as he grabs his plate and his orange juice and sits down at the one empty chair around the kitchen table. "The sun is out, the birds are singing, I'm eating a nice hearty breakfast with my two lovely roommates. And I got a special surprise for you two later."

"All right Jack, spill it." Janet says. Jack chuckles.

"Sorry Janet, but you're just going to have to wait." Jack replies.

"Jack, come on. We know you've met a new girl." Terri says.

"Yeah Jack. Just tell us, who is she?" Janet says.

"Why gosh, what on Earth are you talking about?" Jack asks, trying to play dumb.

"Oh come on, Jack. We know you too well. And you wouldn't be going around here singing, sizzling bacon, and squeezing orange juice if there wasn't some new philly out there that had your heart all a twitter. Now just tell us, Jack, who is she?" Janet says.

"All right, all right." Jack says as he holds up his hands.

"Who is she, Jack? What's her name?" asks Terri.

"Look, all I'm going to say is that I've invited someone very special over for to dinner tonight. And I'd like for the two of you to be here." Jack says.

"Well Jack, it just so happens that I've invited Phillip over for dinner tonight." Janet replies.

"Oh, I see. So you want Terri and I to split, so you have the place to all to yourself?" asks Jack.

"No Jack, I want you and Terri to be here. I want you to get to know Phillip." Janet says.

"But Janet, I got somebody very special I'm bringing over tonight." Jack says.

"Well Jack, you can bring your new girlfriend, and I'll bring Phillip." Janet says.

"Hey, what a good idea." Jack says with a smile.

"No, it isn't." Terri says. Both Jack and Janet turn to look at her. "What about me? I mean you two each have a date, and I have to come alone?"

Jack shrugs. "Well, we could invite Larry?" Jack suggests. Terri looks over at Janet, turns up her nose, then turns back to Jack.

"On second thought, single is the only way to go." Terri says with a grin as the three roommates laugh. At this point, Janet decides to slowly clue Jack in on her big secret.

"Jack, do you notice anything different about me?" Janet asks as she holds her hand up to rest her chin on it, intentionally showing off the diamond engagement ring that Phillip bought her. Jack looks her over, not even noticing the ring.

"You have different color nail polish?" Jack guesses.

"Give up, Janet. He'll never get it." Terri says, gloating.

"Jack! Think about it, why would I be inviting Phillip over tonight and wanting you and Terri to stay?" Janet asks.

Jack thinks for a moment, totally clueless. "Uhm, because you want me to teach him how to cook?" Jack guesses.

"Ugh, Jack. Think about it. What have I been waiting for, for a long time?" Janet asks. Jack sits there staring at the wall, trying to focus. "It's something I've been dreaming about and thanks to Phillip, it's now happened."

Jack continues thinking, but suddenly gasps with a surprised and happy look on his face as he's certain now, he knows what Janet's getting at. "Jaaannnneettt! Do you mean….?" Jack says softly and slowly with a huge grin. Janet begins to nod with a tearful smile as she's certain Jack knows. Much to her surprise, she is caught totally off guard by Jack's answer. "You finally sold that prize geranium you've had in the store window? And Phillip bought it?" Jack answers. "Oh Janet, that's great!" Jack exclaims. Janet and Terri look at each other befuddled that Jack could be so dense.

"Oh Jack, you big dummy. All right, Terri. You win the bet. I can't keep it in any longer. Jack, Phillip and I are getting married!" Janet says with sheer ecstasy in her voice.

"M…m…m…married?" Jack stutters. Janet nods and smiles as she holds up her hand to Jack showing off her engagement ring, almost ready to shed a tear of joy. Jack takes a moment to regain his composure. "Married? Janet you and Phillip are getting married?" Jack asks again.

"Mhm." Janet says while nodding gloating at the same time.

"Oh Janet. Congratulations, I'm so happy for you." Jack says as he stands up and hugs Janet and gives her a congratulatory kiss. "This is great. Have you set a date yet?"

"No. I mean, we got so much to do. I mean, first we got to find a place to live, and then Phillip…." Janet starts. Suddenly, Jack's expression of joy turns to one of sadness and glum.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. A place to live?" Jack asks.

"Well yeah." Janet says.

"Of course. You didn't think that Janet and Phillip were going to move in here did you?" asks Terri. Suddenly, it hits Jack like a ton of bricks. Janet, the girl who he's been sharing and apartment with and seeing every day for the last eight years would not be there anymore. What started off as such a positive and upbeat day for him had suddenly taken a detour through depression city.

Jack would no sooner stand in the way of Janet and her happiness than he would stop breathing air. But the fact remained, after eight fabulous years, the days of Janet and Jack sharing the same apartment were now numbered.

"Well, no, of course not." Jack says as he puts on a fake grin and grabs Janet by the arm and squeezes it comfortably. He then lets go, barely able to keep in the tears as he goes walking out of the kitchen before either Janet or Terri notice.

Jack goes into his bedroom and closes the door. He quickly changes into a pair of shirts and a collared shirt and the first pair of shoes he can find. He walks out of the bedroom and makes a B line for the door just as Janet and Terri are coming out of the kitchen.

"Jack, are you okay?" Janet asks.

"Yeah, is everything all right?" Terri asks. The girls are extremely concerned as they can tell right away that the reality of the situation had gotten to Jack.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jack says.

"Are you sure?" asks a concerned Janet.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Listen, why don't you girls finish your breakfast. Janet, I'm really happy for you, and for Phillip. Really, I truly am." Jack says as he starts to open the door.

"Where are you going?" asks Terri.

"Oh, I just thought I'd go over to the beach for a little while. I won't be gone long." Jack says in a melancholy tone. "Go on, don't let your eggs get cold." Jack says as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Janet and Terri are left there looking at each other. Neither is sure what to do. Do they follow Jack or do they let him be?

* * *

Jack is sitting alone on the beach. He has found a nice quiet place to plunk himself down in the sand. While there are other people on the beach, he doesn't even notice them. The news of Janet leaving hit him so hard that it's nearly made him forget about everything else, including how happy he was when he was with Chrissy the previous night.

He woke up so excited, and so full of enthusiasm about his time with Chrissy the night before. And when Chrissy agreed to stay in town for a few days, as opposed to flying back it made Jack happy. And he couldn't wait to surprise the girls that evening with Chrissy coming over. He especially couldn't wait to see the expression on Janet's face.

But suddenly, his attention had been fully diverted. While the news of Janet's engagement to Phillip was happy news, the realization that she'd be moving out made it all so real. After eight years of living together, she would no longer be there. She'd no longer be in the room next door at night. Janet had been his best friend, someone who would listen to all his problems. And the endless misunderstandings and ridiculous situations they've gotten themselves into over the years only served to strengthen their friendship; a friendship that Jack knew would not be the same once Janet and Phillip tied the knot.

As Jack sits on the beach, he is approached from behind by a familiar figure. It's Janet. After having left Jack alone for a while, she became worried when he didn't come home after a half hour. So she decided to go out onto the beach and find him. It didn't take her long to locate him. She knew him so well, and knew what spot on the beach was his.

"Jack." Janet says softly as she walks up to him from behind. Jack looks up at her briefly with a glum look on his face, then turns back to look at the ocean. "Jack, are you okay?" Janet asks.

"Yeah." Jack starts. "Look, I didn't mean to bring you down or anything. It's just that when you said that you and Phillip were looking for a place to live, it really hit me. No more Janet."

"Hey. Come on." Janet says as she sits down in the sand next to Jack. "Buck up. I'm not going away to Mars. I'm going to be living right here in the very same city."

"Yeah. But you won't be living in the apartment. And the truth is, I've…well, I'm kind of use to you being there." Jack says.

"Oh Jack." Janet says as she reaches out and grabs his arm. "I'll always be there for you, you know that. You can come over every single night and talk to me about your problems."

"Really?" Jack asks as he turns to look at Janet.

"Sure." Janet says. "And while you're there, you can help me with one of mine."

"What's that?" Jack asks.

"Teach me to cook." Janet says, sparking a slight chuckle from Jack.

"You know, when I think about all the fun times we've had in the apartment, and all the crazy messes that we've gotten ourselves into, it just, it makes me sad to think that this is the end of our crazy adventures." Jack says. "Like the time that you thought I was dating a prostitute and that she was taking an interest in your father." Jack says as both he and Janet start laughing.

"Or the time that you posed as your twin so you could go out with Mr. Furley's niece." Janet says, as she and Jack continue to laugh.

"Or what about that time that I thought both you and Terri wanted to have an affair with me?" Jack says as she and Janet continue to laugh, till Janet stops.

"Wait, which time?" Janet asks. Jack stops laughing and looks at her serious. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You know, Jack, when I think about all the women you've chased over the years, I…..I get tired." Janet says.

"Yeah, I guess I have been on the prowl quite a bit." Jack says.

"That's putting it mildly." Janet says. "So Jack, you ever think about settling down?"

"Settling down?" Jack asks.

"Well sure. I mean, surely you don't be chasing women at the Regal Beagle with Larry for the rest of your life, do you?" Janet asks.

"Well, of course I do." Jack replies. "I just have to meet the right woman. She's got to be sweet, and funny, and kind, and someone who understands me, and have a great personality."

"And don't forget, drop dead gorgeous?" Janet adds.

"Well, that doesn't hurt either." Jack says jokingly as Janet laughs. Little does Janet know that as Jack was describing his dream girl, he was picturing Chrissy the entire time.

"Jack, tell me something." Janet says. "This girl that you've invited over to dinner tonight. Is she something special? Or is she just another girl?"

"The girl? Tonight? Oh Janet, she's….." Jack says as he pauses. Just then he realizes something he hasn't thought about yet. What would Janet's reaction be when she realized that Chrissy was the girl that Jack liked. Would she be angry? Or would she be happy for him? How would Janet feel about Jack dating her former roommate and her friend? He hoped she would be accepting of it, because if she wasn't, it would make it hard for Jack to progress any further. "She's special." Jack finally blurts out.

"I knew she was." Janet says. "Jack Tripper, the way you acted this morning. And the way your face lights up whenever you talk about her, out of all the women you've chased over the years, I've never seen you look so happy when talking about someone like this."

"Janet, I have to tell you something about this girl. You see….." Jack starts to say, feeling the need to tell her the big secret.

"Shhhhhhhhh." Janet says as she puts her index finger over his lips. "Don't say anything."

"Huh?" Jack looks at her with surprise.

"I don't want to know anything about her. I don't even want to know her name. I want to be totally surprised when she comes over tonight." Janet says with a smile.

"Oh believe me, Janet, when this girl walks through the door, she's going to knock your socks off." Jack says.

"I bet." Janet says. "Now, you got a big dinner to cook for tonight. So are you just going to sit out here on the beach all day, or are you going to start getting ready for what will be a very special night."

Jack grins. "You're right, Janet. I better get cooking." Jack says as he stands up. Janet stands up too along with him.

"Jack, can I just say one more thing." Janet says as she looks at him.

"Sure Janet, what is it?" Jack asks.

"I'm really going to miss you." Janet says, her eyes filling up with tears as she's no longer able to fight back the tears. Instinctively, Jack reaches out to hug her.

"Janet, oh Janet. It's okay." Jack says as Janet cries on Jack's shoulder. "Janet, hey. You're getting married. You need to be happy. Now let's make a pack, okay? No more tears." Jack says.

Janet looks at Jack, the sadness still etched on her face. "Okay, Jack. You got it." Janet says. The two then embrace there on the beach in a long hug. Both are fighting so hard to hold back the tears.

After several minutes, the two long time roommates head back to the apartment to prepare for a memorable night. Several times, it is on the tip of Jack's tongue to tell Janet about Chrissy, but he doesn't. He begins to go over it in his head multiple times just how Janet will react when she finds out. One thing is for sure, whether it's good or bad. It is definitely a night that nobody will ever forget.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
